History of Pluto TV in Timeline

Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported streaming television service owned by Paramount Global, offering digital linear channels akin to traditional broadcast programming. Founded in 2013 by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin, and Nick Grouf, it's based in Los Angeles and available across the Americas and Europe. Its revenue model relies on video advertisements during commercial breaks, mirroring conventional TV.

2005: Viacom and CBS Split

In 2005, Viacom and CBS Corporation split into two separate companies, five years after the original Viacom first acquired CBS's assets.

2013: Series A Funding

During the second half of 2013, Pluto Inc. raised $13 million in series A funding from investors including Universal Music Group and Sky plc.

March 31, 2014: Pluto TV Beta Website Launch

On March 31, 2014, Pluto TV launched its beta website. The company was co-founded by Nick Grouf, Tom Ryan, and Ilya Pozin.

May 14, 2014: myPluto DVR Feature Unveiled

On May 14, 2014, Pluto unveiled a digital video recorder feature on its website known as "myPluto," allowing users to "record" content by clicking a "save show" button that would archive content from the channel as it played.

July 1, 2015: Content distribution deal with Hulu

On July 1, 2015, Pluto TV signed a deal with Hulu to distribute ad-supported video content available for free on Hulu's website.

October 2015: Addition of 20 new channels

In October 2015, 20 additional channels featuring content from AwesomenessTV, Cracked, IGN, Just for Laughs, Legendary Digital Networks, Newsy, The Onion and WildBrain were brought onto Pluto TV's service lineup, bringing the total number of curated channels offered by Pluto to around 120.

May 15, 2016: Pluto TV app on PlayStation Store

On May 15, 2016, Pluto TV signed an agreement with Sony to make the Pluto TV app available on the PlayStation Store for download by users of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

April 30, 2017: Robert Magdlen Appointed Chief Programming Officer

On April 30, 2017, Pluto Inc. added a chief programming officer role, appointing Robert Magdlen to handle responsibilities for programming and channel development.

May 15, 2017: Video-on-demand offering launched

On May 15, 2017, Pluto TV launched a traditional video-on-demand offering, consisting of a large library of films and television series licensed from various distributors.

May 2017: Monthly users averaging 6 million

As of May 2017, Pluto TV was averaging 6 million users per month.

October 2017: $5-million investment from Samsung

In October 2017, Pluto TV announced that it received a $5-million investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation as part of an $8.3 million round of funding raised by various investors.

October 2017: Roku Channels

As of October 2017, Pluto TV was rated one of the most-watched Roku Channels on Roku.

March 15, 2018: Partnership with SpotX

On March 15, 2018, Pluto TV entered into a partnership with SpotX to provide advertising monetization services for Pluto.

August 1, 2018: Vizio launches WatchFree powered by Pluto TV

On August 1, 2018, Vizio launched a new ad-supported streaming platform powered by Pluto TV, called WatchFree. This service is built into several models of Vizio's line of Internet-connected smart TVs.

October 1, 2018: Expansion into Europe

On October 1, 2018, Pluto TV expanded into parts of Europe, with the launch of a platform on Sky's Now TV service in the UK, offering an initial slate of more than 12 curated channels.

October 2018: Tru Optik partnership

Also in October 2018, Pluto TV picked Tru Optik to help with advertising inventory.

December 4, 2018: Launch in Germany and Austria

On December 4, 2018, Pluto TV launched a regional service in Germany and Austria through a collaborative agreement with Sky, with the app's content made available initially via the Sky TV stick.

January 22, 2019: Viacom announces intention to acquire Pluto TV

On January 22, 2019, Viacom announced its intention to acquire Pluto TV for $340 million.

March 4, 2019: Viacom Completes Acquisition of Pluto TV

On March 4, 2019, the deal where Viacom acquires Pluto TV was completed.

March 18, 2019: Plans to launch Pluto TV worldwide

On March 18, 2019, Viacom announced plans to launch Pluto TV worldwide, focusing on building scale through ad-supported streaming platforms.

May 1, 2019: Branded Channels Based on Viacom Media Networks

On May 1, 2019, Pluto introduced branded channels based on Viacom Media Networks-owned cable outlets and other Viacom properties, including content from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, VH1, Logo, TV Land and MTV, along with Spike-branded channels based on the network's past formats of men's interest and outdoors programming.

June 13, 2019: Pluto TV launched on Comcast's Xfinity X1

On June 13, 2019, Pluto TV was launched on Comcast's Xfinity X1 cable boxes.

July 1, 2019: Launch of Pluto TV Latino

On July 1, 2019, Pluto TV launched a Spanish-language programming tier, Pluto TV Latino, consisting initially of eleven Spanish and Portuguese-language channels.

August 13, 2019: Viacom and CBS Corporation Recombine

On August 13, 2019, National Amusements announced that Viacom and CBS Corporation would recombine their assets into a singular entity to be named ViacomCBS.

September 2019: Availability on mobile platforms

In September 2019, Pluto TV became available on mobile platforms in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK; the service first became available in those countries on iOS and Apple TV devices on September 6, and on Android devices on September 24.

November 13, 2019: CBS channels added to Pluto TV

On November 13, 2019, prior to the completion of the merger additional channels from CBS, including the CBS News New York and Los Angeles services, and an Entertainment Tonight-branded entertainment news channel (ET Live), were added to the service.

November 2019: Monthly active users at 20 million

By November 2019, the service was estimated to have 20 million monthly active users.

January 2020: New Logo Unveiled

In January 2020, Pluto TV unveiled a new logo at CES 2020 and a redesign of its Apple iOS apps.

February 3, 2020: Launch in Latin America announced

On February 3, 2020, ViacomCBS announced that Pluto TV would launch in Latin America at the end of March, offering 17 channels available in Spanish and Portuguese.

February 20, 2020: ViacomCBS Estimates Pluto TV Viewership

On February 20, 2020, ViacomCBS projected that Pluto TV had an average of 22 million monthly viewers in Q4 2019 and anticipated reaching 30 million by December 2020. The company also announced plans to integrate Pluto TV content into a revamped CBS All Access.

March 2020: Content partnerships

In March 2020, Pluto TV had deals with 170 content partners, providing approximately 425 channels and 100,000 unique hours of programming.

July 9, 2020: Pluto TV Launches on Virgin Media in the UK

On July 9, 2020, Pluto TV launched an app for Virgin Media customers located in the UK.

October 2020: Pluto TV becomes part of ViacomCBS Streaming

In October 2020, Pluto TV became part of the newly created ViacomCBS Streaming, both to be led by Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan.

November 17, 2020: Launch in Brazil

Pluto TV was anticipated to launch in Brazil in December 2020, but launched on November 17, 2020.

December 2020: 80 channels expected to be available by the end of 2020.

ViacomCBS expected that more than 80 channels would be available on Pluto TV by the end of December 2020 for the Latin American market.

March 2021: CBS All Access becomes Paramount+

Since March 2021, CBS All Access became Paramount+ after the merger of Viacom and CBS Corporation, making Pluto TV a sister service to Paramount+.

July 17, 2021: Pluto TV Adds New Channels

On July 17, 2021, Pluto TV expanded its channel lineup with the addition of News 12 New York, Pluto TV Home, and Professional Bull Riders' RidePass.

September 29, 2021: ViacomCBS to Pay FCC Fine for Closed Captioning Issues

On September 29, 2021, ViacomCBS agreed to pay $3.5 million to the FCC due to Pluto TV's failure to provide adequate closed captioning services. The FCC determined that the service had issues with caption passthrough and support.

November 29, 2021: Pluto TV Announces Launch in Scandinavia

On November 29, 2021, ViacomCBS announced that Pluto TV would be launching in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark by 2022 in partnership with Nordic Entertainment Group, replacing their AVOD service, Viafree.

February 2022: ViacomCBS Streaming renamed Paramount Streaming

In February 2022, ViacomCBS Streaming was renamed Paramount Streaming. Tom Ryan continued to lead Paramount Streaming.

February 16, 2022: ViacomCBS Streaming Renamed to Paramount Streaming

On February 16, 2022, Pluto TV's parent company, ViacomCBS Streaming, was renamed Paramount Streaming, coinciding with ViacomCBS's rebranding to Paramount Global.

July 13, 2022: Pluto TV Adds New Channel Categories

On July 13, 2022, Pluto TV added five new channel categories: Game Shows, Daytime TV, Home, Food, and Lifestyle & Culture, as well as two new channels: Let's Make a Deal and The Judge Judy Channel.

August 2022: Additional Channels Added to Pluto TV

In August 2022, Pluto TV expanded its channel lineup by adding channels dedicated to Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.

September 1, 2022: Pluto TV Launches New Channels

On September 1, 2022, Pluto TV introduced two new channels: 00s Replay and The Ed Sullivan Show.

October 31, 2022: Pluto TV Announces Addition of Classic CBS Series

On October 31, 2022, Pluto TV announced plans to add 6,300 episodes of classic CBS-distributed series to its on-demand library by the end of 2022, including shows such as Cheers, Criminal Minds, Frasier, and Star Trek.

December 1, 2022: Pluto TV Launches in Canada

On December 1, 2022, Pluto TV launched in Canada in partnership with Corus Entertainment, which manages marketing and Canadian advertising sales, also contributing channels from its networks and libraries.

December 15, 2022: Pluto TV Launches New Advertising Campaign

On December 15, 2022, Pluto TV launched a new advertising campaign featuring actress Drew Barrymore.

April 11, 2023: Pluto TV Launches CBS Sports Golazo Network

On April 11, 2023, Pluto TV introduced the CBS Sports Golazo Network in the U.S. The launch was done to take advantage of Paramount Global's soccer rights.

April 2023: Monthly active users

As of April 2023, Pluto TV has a total of 80 million monthly active users.

August 2023: Pluto TV Plans to Launch in Australia

During the Canadian launch event on December 1, 2022, executive VP Olivier Jollet stated they plan to launch Pluto TV channels in Australia by August 2023.

November 1, 2023: Pluto TV Announces Merger with My5 in the UK

On November 1, 2023, Paramount announced that Pluto TV would merge with My5 in the UK. The full launch was planned for the second half of 2024.

October 2024: Pluto TV Announces Partnership with NBCUniversal

In October 2024, Pluto TV announced a new partnership with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.

December 2024: Pluto TV Channel Lineup and Content Acquisition

As of December 2024, Pluto TV offers approximately 425 channels, comprising content acquired through syndication deals and programming from Paramount Global's libraries. Pluto TV also carries feeds from traditional channels, AVOD services, and "pop-up channels."

December 2024: Pluto TV Ranked Most Popular FAST Service in Canada

As of December 2024, according to Media Technology Monitor, Pluto TV was the most popular free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in Canada.

April 2025: Pluto TV Adds New Channels to Lineup

In April 2025, Pluto TV announced the addition of The Martha Stewart Channel, The Emeril Lagasse Channel and ALLBLK Gems to its permanent channel lineup.